Hi Jmadden18,
I’m not sure what you’ve read since you found the site but just in case you haven’t read it yet … the first place to start your research is the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice … and perhaps more importantly know how and why to avoid the worst ones.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you.
While again nobody can speak to how any specific mattress will “feel” for someone else because this is too subjective and relative to different body types, sleeping positions, and individual preferences, sensitivities, and circumstances and you are the only one that can feel what you feel on a mattress … outside of PPP which is the most important part of “value”, the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label (or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new) so I would always make sure that you find out information listed here so you can compare the materials and components to the quality/durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
It would depend what you mean by an “alternative” …
There is more information in post #9 here about the different ways that one mattress can “match” or “approximate” another one. Every layer and component in a mattress (including the cover and any quilting materials) will affect the feel and performance of every other layer and component and the mattress “as a whole” so unless you are able to find another mattress that uses exactly the same type of materials, components, cover and quilting, layer thicknesses, layer firmnesses, and overall design (which would be fairly unlikely) then there really isn’t a reliable way to match one mattress to another one in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP based on the specifications of the mattresses (even assuming that you can find out all the specifications you would need for both mattresses you are comparing in the first place).
Mattress manufacturers generally try to differentiate their mattress from the mattresses made by other manufacturers and don’t normally try to “match” another mattress that is made by a different manufacturer so unless a manufacturer specifically says in their description of a mattress that one of their mattresses in the same general category is specifically designed to “match” or “approximate” another one in terms of firmness or “feel” and PPP and/or they are very familiar with both mattresses and can provide reliable guidance about how they compare based on the “averages” of a larger group of people that have compared them (different people may have very different opinions about how two mattresses compare) … the only reliable way to know for certain how two mattresses would compare for you in terms of how they “feel” or in terms of firmness or PPP (regardless of anyone else’s opinions of how they compare which may be different from your own) would be based on your own careful testing or actual sleeping experience on both of them.
If you are researching online memory foam mattresses … the mattress shopping tutorial includes a link to a list of some of the better online memory foam options I’m aware of (in the optional online step) and several of them make good quality mattresses that also include both memory foam, and latex and are in the same general category (although some of them have latex support cores rather than a latex transition layer) but they have different designs, materials, and components (such as different types of memory foam or latex or different layer thickness and firmnesses) and would likely have a different “feel” or firmness level.
Off the top of my head … some of the manufacturers on the list that make mattresses that include both memory foam and latex (or have an option to use a memory foam layer instead of a latex layer) include …
dreamfoambedding.com/ (I believe that you can replace one of the layers in the Aloe Alexis with memory foam but I would call and ask to confirm this)
rockymountainmattress.com/ Their Cloudcroft and Rendezvous both contain memory foam and latex
https://www.sleepez.com/ (they can replace the top 3" layer of their component latex mattresses with memory foam)
MFC | Organic Latex Mattress | Memory Foam Topper | Canada Their Fliptop mattress includes both latex and memory foam
https://www.selectabed.com/ Their Softpedic and Fibropedic contain both latex and memory foam.
Hybrid_Mattress.php They carry several mattresses that use both latex and memory foam.
ADMIN NOTE:Removed 404 page link | Archived Footprint: lakemattress.biz/Hybrid_Mattress.php
https://www.christeli.com/ Their Luxe Estate and their Palais Grand Royale both contain latex and memory foam.
https://www.plushbeds.com/memory-foam-mattresses.html Their Cool Bliss, Posture Plush, and Heavenly Plush all contain latex and memory foam.
A few of the simplified choice mattresses in post #2 here also use a combination of memory foam and latex in the upper layers although they use latex on top of the memory foam rather than the other way around…
While I can’'t speak to how any of these would compare for any specific person in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP … when you can’t test a mattress in person then the most reliable source of guidance is always a more detailed phone conversation with a knowledgeable and experienced retailer or manufacturer that has your best interests at heart and who can help “talk you through” the specifics of their mattresses and the properties and “feel” of the materials they are using (fast or slow response, resilience, firmness etc) and the options they have available that may be the best “match” for you based on the information you provide them, any local testing you have done or mattresses you have slept on and liked or other mattresses you are considering that they are familiar with, and the “averages” of other customers that are similar to you. They will know more about “matching” their specific mattress designs and firmness levels to different body types, sleeping positions, and preferences (or to other mattresses that they are familiar with) than anyone else and their guidance will give you the best chance of success.
If you know the specifications of all the materials and layers in two mattresses you are comparing (see this article) then making durability comparisons based on the specifications of both mattresses and on the quality/durability guidelines here is simpler than trying to compare “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (which is much more subjective) but the durability of the materials in a mattress has very little to do with how if feels or performs because a mattress that uses lower quality and less durable materials can feel the same or very similar to a mattress that uses higher quality and more durable materials in a showroom or when it is still relatively new … it just won’t last as long.
There may also be some local mattresses that use a combination of memory foam and latex as well and if you let me know your city or zip code I’d be happy to let you know about the better options or possibilities I’m aware of.
Once you have narrowed down your options to a list of finalists that are all choices between “good and good” and none of them have any lower quality materials or “weak links” in their design and if at this point there are no clear winners between them (which is usually a good indication that you have done some good research) then you are in the fortunate position that any of them would likely be a suitable choice and post #2 herepersonal value equation can help you make a final choice based on your own local testing and/or your more detailed phone conversations about each of them, the firmness and suitability of each one, their prices, your preferences for different types of materials and components, designs, or types and blends of latex, the options you have after a purchase to fine tune the mattress or exchange or return the mattress or individual layers and any costs involved, any additional extras that are part of each purchase, and on “informed best judgement” based on all the other objective, subjective, and intangible parts of your that are most important to you.
Phoenix